Syrian President Congratulates Rohani On Election Victory

Tehran, June 17, IRNA -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a letter congratulated Iranian President-elect Hassan Rohani, for his landslide victory in Iran’s 11th presidential election. In his letter, the Syrian leader offered “heartfelt congratulations and best wishes” to Rohani on behalf of the Syrian nation for gaining “the trust of millions of the brotherly Iranian people”. President Assad reiterated the Arab state’s determination to boost bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries. He also stressed the need for “confronting the plots of hegemony and aggression against the national sovereignty in our region in a way that reflects positively on the peoples of both friendly countries as well as the peoples of the region and the whole world”. Foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which broke out in March 2011, has claimed the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly voiced its opposition to any foreign interference in Syriaˈs internal affairs, calling for inclusive dialog and national reconciliation as well as free elections as keys to the settlement of the crisis in the country. Rohani won Iran’s June 14 presidential race, garnering 18,613,329 votes, or 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots. Rohani currently represents Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in the country’s Supreme National Security Council, is a member of the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts, and is also president of the Expediency Councilˈs Center for Strategic Research./end